Support kitten Jet has been reunited with his owner Jane Mangan after spending a night stuck up a tree. Photo / Supplied
Support kitten Jet has been reunited with his owner Jane Mangan after spending a night stuck up a tree. Photo / Supplied
Five-month-old kitten Jet has been left shaken but otherwise unscathed after falling 10m from a tree into a woman's arms.
Jet is a support kitten for Tauranga's Jane Mangan, who is battling advanced ovarian cancer.
Mangan said she knew something was wrong when her beloved companion went missing on Sunday morning and did not return that night.
"We were very worried about him," she said.
"We scoured the neighbourhood, we looked everywhere for him. My son produced some posters early on Monday morning. We thought he might've been chased by a dog, anything could've happened really."
About midday on Monday, Jet was heard meowing at the top of a tree estimated to be about 10m high.
"Everybody gathered around and he was way up the top," Mangan said.
"It was really spindly branches and he must've been up there all night. The neighbour was putting a ladder up and Jet just came flying out of the tree, my son's partner was underneath and she caught him in her arms.
"He latched on and she got some good scratches and bruises."
Having Jet returned was "a massive relief" for Mangan. Her family got her the kitten to support her and provide companionship throughout her battle with cancer.
"He's a really lovely cat. The fact he was away overnight, that was the really difficult thing to deal with. We would've passed that tree calling him hundreds of times. It was actually only 20 to 30m from the boundary of the property.
Support kitten Jet won't be climbing any trees in the near future. Photo / Supplied
"It was amazing [to get him back] because it was really scary, the thought of him having gone. It was wonderful. I love cats and I hadn't had one for a long time.
"I'm still reasonably fit and healthy but the cancer is advanced and I've had a bit of bad luck. Jet's lovely, it's been wonderful. He's a really lovable cat and it has made a difference for me."
Since returning home, Jet is back to his old self, although he won't be climbing any trees in the near future.
"He's staying really close to home and he's not quite as playful, he's had a real fright. He's not going near that side of the property either."
Mangan encouraged other women who had any symptoms of ovarian cancer to get checked out as soon as possible.
"It's really good if it's diagnosed early," she said.
"It's often misdiagnosed or diagnosed when it's advanced because the symptoms are mistaken for other things.
